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Synonyms

designated hitter

American  

noun

Baseball.

  1. a hitter selected prior to the start of the game to bat for the starting pitcher and all subsequent pitchers without otherwise affecting the status of the pitchers in the game. DH, dh

Etymology

Origin of designated hitter

An Americanism dating back to 1970–75

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

One was Shohei Ohtani, the first-team designated hitter for both teams.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 26, 2026

That made him the first primary designated hitter to claim the honor, and he joined Frank Robinson as the second player to win MVP in both leagues.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 13, 2025

That was the end of Ohtani's night as the pitcher, but under a 2022 regulation change known as the 'Ohtani rule',, external he was allowed to remain in the game as designated hitter.

From BBC • Nov. 2, 2025

Ohtani will be the Dodgers’ starting pitcher and designated hitter.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 1, 2025

He kept talking about how the designated hitter in baseball was bad and why basketball was a commercial success and what teams looked promising in college football.

From "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" by Stephen Chbosky

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.